Visiting Monaco and Côte d’Azur

Our second stop on our trip was Monaco. We drove up from Florence, and the drive consisted mostly of winding roads with tunnel after tunnel, beautiful coastal views on one side and mountains on the other.

The drive itself was as much an eye-opening experience as the destination. Truck stops had nothing but fresh salads, pastas and sandwiches. Espresso was always made by a skilled barista. No fast food whatsoever. I couldn’t wait to be hungry again.

Monaco, like any coastal city has its seductive views. We stayed at the Monte Carlo Bay Resort, which is a Las Vegas style building with beautiful pools, modern rooms and views that are beyond belief. We made sure to choose a hotel on the coast with a room that had a mesmerizing view of the sea and land. Here’s what we woke up to, and went to bed with:

The weather in mid September in Monaco was a perfect sunny, warm and comfortable summer day. It was easy for us to spend 2 full days lounging around by the pool with a spectacular sea view, experiencing the mouth-watering dishes that this resort had to offer. With a very pretty price tag I might add.

In room service was definitely taken advantage of. We liked breakfast to be simple, even though the hotel offered an elaborate breakfast buffet, we preferred to order in room service. Our order consisted of some French pastries with jellies and french cream cheese, which is more like plain yogurt, maybe a little creamier. With the sunrise on the balcony, fresh Le petitdéjeuner, that’s as close to perfect as I can imagine. I might add we saved about 65 euros as well.

Nice was only a half hour away making it the easy day trip. The day started out bright, sunny and once again the perfect comfort level. I had made plans with a friend months before to meet up for coffee. It was very nice to have someone we knew to visit while traveling. The afternoon however a large storm rolled in and interrupted our exploration of Nice. But that’s OK. No complaints. It was a great opportunity for some terrific shots.

This trip to Monaco and Nice I checked off 2 more items from my bucket list. Visiting Nice was one, and swimming in the Mediterranean was two, and very high on my list. The water was like jumping into a glass of ice water, but I did. Number one on my bucket list is to one day live on the Mediterranean coast.

I can`t believe that there are such a beauty in this world! Love your photos! Monaco is one of the greatest places! I have always wanted to visit it. Unfortunately now It is not the right time. Thank you for letting me daydream. Best regards!